Mt Pleasant News
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Spliced fiber line caused interruption in Internet service to local Mediacom customers

Jun 28, 2013

By BROOKS TAYLOR

Mt. Pleasant News

DES MOINES — Damage to fiber optic network lines Wednesday afternoon disrupted Internet service to Mediacom customers in Mt. Pleasant and Henry County, according to Phyllis Peters, spokesperson for Mediacom.

“We regret that customers in southeast Iowa experienced an interruption in the Internet service we deliver,” Peters said. “It happened because of fiber network damage that occurred in a flood-related/construction repair area unrelated to anything Mediacom was doing and beyond our control.”

Peters said the fiber lines were damaged at 3:45 p .m. Wednesday in an area between Burlington and Wapello when a crew was working to clear debris in a flooded creek. She noted that it was flood-related work that involved the use of equipment such as backhoes.

“It is likely, but not confirmed, that a backhoe hit the fiber line, or the fiber line was damaged in some other way during the process of what was being done to clear debris in the creek and bridge area,” Peters explained.

She noted that the fiber lines in the area are owned by another telecommunications provider. Mediacom and some national phone carriers lease a portion of the fiber network lines.

New fiber was brought to the area and a temporary line was extended until the permanent line can be buried in the coming weeks. Service was restored at about 2:50 a.m. Thursday.

Internet service was also disrupted to New London.

Some areas of the Mediacom service area did lose video/TV, Internet and phone service, Peters added.